


In Terms Of Flowers

by aban_ataashi



Series: Remember Thine Oath (Nona’s Story) [35]
Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Gen, God Squad - Freeform, Leaden Key, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-22 17:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22320103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aban_ataashi/pseuds/aban_ataashi
Summary: A collection of drabbles in between campaigns, inspired by Flower Language prompts
Relationships: Thaos ix Arkannon/Original Character(s)
Series: Remember Thine Oath (Nona’s Story) [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547509
Comments: 14
Kudos: 8
Collections: TTRPG Godsquad





	1. Forsythia & Raspberry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rannadylin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rannadylin/gifts), [Bazylia_de_Grean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazylia_de_Grean/gifts), [RisuAlto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RisuAlto/gifts), [serenbach86 (serenbach)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/gifts).



> For the flower prompts:  
> Forsythia- Anticipation  
> Raspberry- Remorse

In the midst of the crisis that has gripped Dyrwood and keeps the Leaden Key busier than ever, Nona prays.

Leading group prayers is expected, of course, now that she is a high priestess. But Nona still finds time apart from that, time to kneel before Woedica’s statue and perform her own prayers in quiet and solitude.

When Nona prays, she thinks of the families that have been devastated to discover their newborn child is what they now call a _Hollowborn,_ and how there will be many more to come. She thinks of those children- not children, really, just husks that will never truly know life. She thinks of the wichts, born of desperation and the twisted machinations of animancy. She thinks of all the people in the Dyrwood, those who are suffering and afraid and do not, _cannot,_ know what it is all for.

She prays for them, and for Thaos, and for herself. Because in spite of it all, they will carry on with their mission.

Nona cannot call what she feels _regret._ Her heart aches to know the pain the Leaden Key has caused, and she mourns the souls whose existence has been sacrificed to empower her Queen. But sorrow is not the same as remorse.

When Woedica reclaims her throne, all the wrongs of the past will at last be set right. When Woedica reclaims her throne, she will restore order and structure to a world that has too long been left to chaos. When Woedica reclaims her throne, no child will again be in danger of being born Hollowborn. No god will again raise an army in rebellion against their Queen.

Nona ends her prayers and looks up at the statue of Woedica before her. The adra that makes up her Queen’s visage shines dimly, even amidst the shadows and behind a haze of incense. She remembers kneeling before her Queen, and the shroud of divine authority and blinding light of her crown.

Nona prays to remind herself what all of their work is for. So long as they succeed in their mission, it will all have been worth it. And they _will_ succeed.

They are not ready yet. They need more time. More souls.

But they are close.


	2. Azalea & Holly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Flower Prompts:  
> Azalea- fragile and ephemeral passion  
> Holly- foresight

There are moments Nona tries to memorize, although she knows her memory will never quite do them justice. Moments when, for just a short time, she can let her plans and worries fall away, when all she needs to think of is him.

_(the feel of her hands in his hair, the warmth of his body against hers, the taste of his kiss)_

There are moments, strangely enough, of peace. Even as the Leaden Key’s plans begin to unfold across the Dyrwood, the sun rises and tea is served and daily prayers are delivered in the same routine.

_(his tired chuckle when she tells him to get some sleep, his familiar voice sounding out Engwithan words, his smile from across the room as Nona steps out in her high priestess robes)_

But this is only the calm before the storm. Nona knows it, can see the truth of it in Thaos’s eyes. That is why she traces these moments in her mind so carefully- she knows that all too soon, the quiet will give way to things more dangerous.

So Nona holds on to whatever moments she can, and hopes they can give her strength for what is to come.


	3. Xeranthemum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Flower Prompt:  
> Xeranthemum: eternity, immortality

Nona wonders how the world will look back on these times. She knows the world as a whole will not remember _her_ specifically; that is not how the Leaden Key works. But the events of the Saint’s War and the Hollowborn Crisis will be etched into Eora’s history, as will Woedica’s eventual rise.

It is wholly unlikely that the writers of Eora’s history will form the correct connections between the events, how the first two were necessary to facilitate the third. Kith of the future will not see the sacrifice for what it was, and Nona cannot blame them, not when the truth is so much larger than what they can comprehend. Even Nona and the other Leaden Key members who know more than most cannot hope to see all of the connections, the causes and effects set into motion over millennia. No mortal could.

Thaos does. Thaos remembers everything, people and events from times long past. He speaks of them sometimes, although not often, and not in detail. Some memories, it seems, are more difficult than others. More painful. Nona reflects that it is a wonder Thaos has managed to hold on to his stability all of this time when he can still reach back so far, to lives and memories that ended centuries ago.

Nona will be one of those memories, eventually. She hopes she is a good one, the kind that comforts rather than aches.

If at least that much is true, it does not matter what the rest of the world remembers.


	4. Gladiolus & Quince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Flower Prompts:  
> Gladiolus- you pierce my heart  
> Quince- temptation

Nona could try to see her mother again, if she wants to.

Thaos asked her, once, if she would want to. She didn’t have an answer, then; she was still processing their conversation, and there were much more pressing matters to be dealt with at that time, anyway.

But even now, she still doesn’t exactly have an answer. Nona is not angry at her mother, not anymore… but she has not forgiven her, either. Forgiveness is not something that has ever come readily for Nona. If they saw each other again- if they had a real conversation, where Nona wasn't trapped and in danger- it might come easier, but that is precisely why such a meeting may not be wise.

Thaos told her, once, that attachments could become a burden. That they could make decisions more difficult.

Nona would never leave- of that, she has iron-clad certainty. She would never consider it. But if she saw her mother again, if she forgave her, if she regained this small bit of family she had lost, if she was asked once again to step away from her path…

Even a whisper of doubt-of temptation- is more weakness than Nona can afford.

In the end, she only sends a letter, assuring her mother that she is safe but offering no means of further contact, and leaves it at that. it may not be much, but Nona knows she will be breaking her mother’s heart either way, and this is perhaps the kinder option for both of them.


	5. Lily & Xeranthemum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Flower Prompts:  
>  Lily- majesty  
> Xeranthemum- eternity, immortality

It is nearly dusk when Nona and Thaos reach the ruins.

The walk is a long one, and they have another long walk tomorrow before they reach their final destination, but the time spent on the road does not bother Nona. Not when journeys like these provide the opportunity for her and Thaos to spend some time completely on their own.

They pass time on the road by talking; sometimes about the Leaden Key, and sometimes about other things, ordinary things, likes books and wurms and whether the clouds in the distance mean it will rain in the morning. Their talk subsides as the hour grows late, and soon enough the woods and fields give way to ruins constructed amid pillars of adra.

Before they make camp for the night, Nona can’t resist exploring just a bit. She moves slowly through the old buildings, taking in the sights, as Thaos walks by her side, occasionally pointing out certain features and explaining their original purpose.

“It’s hard to imagine now,” Nona murmurs to herself, running a hand lightly along the old walls, where a mural is still partially visible through the grime and dust. “But it must have all been so majestic back then.”

Thaos watches her thoughtfully for a moment, and then holds out his hand. “Would you like to see it?”

His offer catches Nona’s attention, and a smile spreads across her face as she realizes what he means. “Of course I would.” She takes Thaos’s outstretched hand and lets him pull her closer, and he leans forward until their foreheads are nearly touching.

“Close your eyes,” he says softly, and Nona does, knowing what he intends. He calls it a simple cipher trick, but it’s one that never fails to amaze her. A short moment passes, with no change to their surroundings that Nona can detect, and then Thaos squeezes her hand.

“Now look,” he whispers, and a gasp falls from Nona’s lips as she opens her eyes.

The city Nona is standing in is, simply put, _magnificent._ The buildings surrounding her are no longer ruins; they are tall and strong, with large domed ceilings and intricately carved pillars. The mural Nona had been studying now glows brightly with fresh paint, depicting a drake in mid-flight, wings spread wide. In the distance she can see even more wonders; temples and towers and tiered landscapes of growing adra.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes, turning slowly in place as she tries to take it all in. She has to move carefully; the floor beneath her may look new, but in reality they are still standing in the crumbling ruins. But if Nona didn’t already know that, she wouldn’t be able to tell. Everything here is so real, so close, so breathtakingly lovely.

“It was,” Thaos agrees, but there is a heaviness in his voice that gives Nona pause. She turns to him, and is taken aback by the wistfulness in his gaze as he looks around at the illusion he has created.

And Nona is reminded that this is not merely history to him. She is already aware of this fact, but it can be surprisingly easy at times not to realize just how much that means. This was his _home._ Maybe not this exact city, but one very much like it. And now all that is left of it are ruins and memories.

Nona looks around her once more, trying to see the Engwithan city as he does- something familiar, not mysterious, but still no less wondrous. “You must miss this.”

“I do.” Thaos releases a soft sigh, and turns his gaze to the distance, studying the landscape before him with a quiet fondness. “But it can be good, sometimes…to remember.”

Nona thinks about that for a moment, then nods and steps closer to him again, slipping her arm through his. “Would you show me more?”

Thaos smiles, and laces their fingers together. “Of course.”


	6. Verbena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Flower Prompt:  
> Verbena: pray for me

Nona wakes to an empty bed and the lingering scent of adra incense.

The memories of pleasant dreams are already fading softly in the face of the knowledge that Thaos is gone on another dangerous mission. Nona sighs deeply and runs her fingers over the sheets beside her, tracing the empty space with a feather-light touch.

“Be safe,” she whispers. He is too far from her now to hear the words, of course, but that is okay; it is not so much a request as it a prayer.

The logical part of her knows that it serves no use to worry. Thaos’s missions are necessary, and even with the danger Thaos is more than capable of protecting himself. It helps, at times, that the Leaden Key is always busy and Nona has her own duties that she must focus on. She fills her mind with practical efforts and her time with the endless tasks that need doing.

But she still worries. She will always worry when he leaves like this, and she will repeat her prayer every night until he returns.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [For Which No Words Exist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381306) by [Bazylia_de_Grean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazylia_de_Grean/pseuds/Bazylia_de_Grean)
  * [The Outlines of Our Hands](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22649299) by [Bazylia_de_Grean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazylia_de_Grean/pseuds/Bazylia_de_Grean)




End file.
